[ 58 ] ' 
impreffion, or any fort of tafte on my tongue, which 
remain’d uncover’d all the time I held my face down, 
which was three or four feconds. 
The more I ftudied the vapour of the grotto, the 
lefs I found it capable of adting as a poilon. I per- 
fuaded myfelf, that one may make an animal fwallow 
fome of it with his food, without endangering his 
life : and to be certain of this, I gave fome bread, 
foaked a long time in the vapour, to a chicken, which 
eat it without reludtance, and fhew’d no figns of be- 
ing incommoded thereby. 
As I was on the point of quitting this famous 
grotto, never to fee it more, in all probability, I was 
very defirous, that nothing might be forgot, that could 
be done there. I was refolved in particular not to 
omit certain trials," of which one cannot form a right 
judgment, without having adtu ally made them; and 
which I would not afterwards prefume to require 
from the complaifance or zeal of a correfpondent. 
I took a lfrong fancy to breathe this vapour myfelf, 
which had hitherto been one of the chief objedts of 
my inquiries. Doubtlefs this would have been a 
blameable rafhnefs two or three hours before : but 
whofoever will recolledt all the experiments preceding 
it, efpecially that of the chicken, and the example, r 
fo often repeated, of animals plunged into this vapour, 
which are never fuffocated therein fuddenly, and feel 
no ill confequences from what they fuffer’d in it, 
will fee, that at mod I expofed myfelf to breathe 
once difagreeably ; and accordingly that was all, that . 
happened to me. Having advanced my face to the 
very furface of the vapour, I attempted to take in 
breath gently. I was fenfible of fomething fuffocating, > 
much 
